A few days later, Sinner announced that he would miss the Italian Open – his home tournament – as the issue required more time to heal.
Now further revelations have been made by Sinner about the potential severity of the injury, following a press conference he held with Italian press today.
“We all thought it wasn’t a serious problem,” the 22-year-old said.
“I don’t want to say exactly what it is. If it wasn’t 100% healed, I would be forced to stop playing for a long time.
“Roland Garros? We still have to decide a few things for Paris. The preparation will not be optimal. My team and I will do our best to get there with as high a percentage as possible to compete.”
While this would indicate there is a chance that Sinner could yet be fit enough to compete in Paris, these comments signify real concern within the Italian’s team.
Specifically, the indication that if the injury is not completely healed before he is next due to play, then it is likely he will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The admission that, even if he were fit enough to compete at Roland-Garros, the “preparation will not be optimal” is also of concern.
“Some injuries can be prevented, others cannot,” Sinner continued.
“So far we have done a great job. Last year I had an injury-free season. Like this year so far. Next year we will have to figure out whether to play Monte Carlo or not. You can’t be perfect at my age.
“In Madrid there were days when I felt the pain a bit more (like with Kotov), others when I didn’t feel it. I knew something was wrong. The day after the match with Khachanov, we saw from the MRI that there was something that was 100% wrong.
“It doesn’t mean that if someone gets hurt, a mistake has necessarily been made. I believe we did everything right. If I had to go back I wouldn’t know what I should have done differently.”
unwelcome news for sinner after superb start to the season
After such a spectacular start to 2024, this is greatly unwelcome news for the young Italian.
Sinner was typically calm and philosophical about the situation, something which has become a hallmark of his most recent success on the match court.
But should the world No 2 be forced to miss the second Grand Slam of the year, after having so superbly won the first in Melbourne back in January, it would be a very disappointing setback.
Sinner has just three weeks before the start of Roland-Garros. A three weeks that will prove pivotal to how the rest of his clay-court season plays out.
